Bull River dead end....

Don and I jumped on our bikes and set off up the Bull River to do a big loop up to White Swan Lake, then up Settlers Road and back through Radium Hot Springs. He had his BMW GS1100 and I had my Buell XT. We started about 9:00 am after having breakfast at the Dairy Queen in Cranbrook. We went over to Fort Steele and then head down towards the Bull River Road. Once we got on the Bull River Road we pointed North to our first real stop which was going to be Monroe lake, a few hours away. The road was good on the way up, with a bit of construction in a few places. There where three graders working the road. More than likely it is winter prep for the logging trucks that use this road in the winter.

We saw several campers and hunters along the way, but it was pretty quiet for a sunny Sunday. Once we got to Monroe Lake we found out from some bridge builders that the bridge up the valley (about 16 kilometers) was probably impassable. They where right. There was a construction crew working there and there was no way we where getting through. With no possible river crossing available to us, we turned back. We where going to take the Sulphur Creek Rd over to Fernie but missed the turn off and ended up about 15 kilometers south of the junction before we sorted that out. At that point I was beginning to run low on fuel so we kept heading south to the closest gas station which was in Jaffrey. Once we where there, we stopped for a burger and a beer. It was a nice end to a great day of Adventure Motorcycle Touring.

Some Pictures on the way up.

Goat Haven Peak on the left

 

Bull River on the right

 

Heading up to the Pass, and the elevation when we got there

 

  

An obstacle course we had to get through to get into Monroe Lake

 

 What stopped our Northern journey

 

On the way Back 

"PhotoShop Glacier" on Mount Peck

 

 A well earned burger and beer.

 

 The route, and some suggestions on where to eat and stay

View On the Bull River Road in a larger map

More Adventure, Less Tour

Don and I did a quick trip up to the Microwave tower above Cranbrook. It is a pretty twisty and rugged road, with lots of switchbacks, loose gravel and ruts in the road carved out of spring runoff. The two pics are from the top, and the third one was on the way down. I just chose the wrong line. No damage to the Uly. I had a sore right wrist, right knee and right ankle. And my pride took the biggest hit. It was the first time I can remember putting a motorcycle down in 46 years. I got to put to practice my lifting of the Uly post.

Into the Back Country

My buddy and I went for a long, one day tour down to Gilnokie Provincial Park, over to Yahk and then up to Grey Creek and home via Grey Creek pass. I had my Harley Davidson Buell and he had his BMW GS 1150. While his bike would be considered an Adventure Tour motorcycle, I would think of mine as more of a Tour Adventure bike. His is made for this kind of riding, where as mine is much more of a highway motorcycle. Both motorcycles operated very well and mine got a bit better fuel economy.

The route goes straight south out of Cranbrook via Gold Creek and then onto Caven Creek Rd for a short bit, then south on Plumbob rd. You have to watch for the correct roads when they connect, but it is pretty easy to find. Eventually, you go up and over a pass that caps out at about 5,200 ft and down into a valley that takes you to the Park.

At the park you will find a couple of campsites. There is an outhouse and some tables, so it is a good quiet place to camp. There is a creek just a bit north of the campsites so there is lots of fresh water. I would still suggest you boil any water you find in the back country.

This was taken at the bridge which is just west of the campsite.

This is taken just west of the park and you can see the pass we are about to ride over on the middle right side of the image just behind the tree.

A panoramic shot from the top of the pass followed by the elevation taken from my iPhone. There are some serious switchbacks up there that required first gear and the judicious use of the clutch to get us around. There was only a few spots where it got a bit testy. There is active logging at the very top, so the roads are loose with the type of rocks that can cause flat tires.

Heading over the west side of the pass, you will get to Yahk. We kept on heading West and had lunch and fueled up in Creston. Then we headed up the lake to Grey Creek and came home over The Grey Creek Pass.

This up at almost the top of the Grey Creek Pass at Olive Lake. There are some nice campsites up there, but take cold weather sleeping gear as the elevation is over 6,500 ft.

As you an see, I lost a lid off of the left pannier, but it is easily replaceable and truly a "First World Problem". It was a great day and we where out about 10 hours, with a total of about 350 kilometers of both gravel and paved roads. Here is the route we took for the entire ride.

View Gilnockie Provincial Park/Grey Creek Loop in a larger map